Here’s the thing about success. It’s a desire that everybody wants to achieve and it’s presented to look and feel a particular way. Yet, why is it that only a select few achieve this and those that do achieve this may not feel satisfied when they obtain it? There are challenges and obstacles to the pathway to success and according to Ginni Saraswati, there are three tools that you need in your arsenal: self-awareness, gratitude and sharing. Saraswati, a serial entrepreneur, renowned and award-winning podcast host, spoke with us on how to overcome these challenges to achieve success.
CEO and founder of Ginni Media, Ginni Saraswati and doubles up as a podcast and radio host. According to Ginni, the road to success will present its hurdles and it is in your level of self-awareness and commitment to doing things that are uncomfortable that will propel you closer and closer to it. “There is this belief that success needs to look a certain way and that we have to reach a particular place. For me, success is deeply personal and it is what I choose to define it as,” she says. “This is why I believe that self-awareness is such a key part of creating your success. I don’t feel that success looks the same to everyone, yet we are in a culture that tells us obsessively that it has to look a certain way.”
Self-awareness can almost feel like an abstract concept. What does self-awareness mean and how do you practice it? “Self-awareness is a constant and disciplined practice. It’s the committed practice of slowing down, checking in, reflecting and taking stock of how you’re feeling. It’s not a glamorous process at all, nor is it something that is instagrammable. But it has been the key to keeping me aligned with what I want to create for myself and how I want to spend my time.”
A part of this slowing down Saraswati mentions includes a practice of being grateful. “The more thankful I am, the more I have to be thankful for,” she says. “There have been days where I’ve had to scrape together what I’m grateful for yet it’s such an important practice for me and keeps me aware of what I can take for granted at times. I have the blessing of having all of my senses, I have my mobility, I am breathing, I am healthy, my loved ones are safe…. the list goes on and on.”
Another concept of success that is often not talked about is sharing your successes. This was something that Saraswati learned from her mother. “My mother was unconditionally generous and taught me that it’s not about how much you can give, but what you can give with what you have. And she’s been right to this day. I don’t know of anyone who has reached poverty from sharing their success with others.”